Knockknock
by Morelenmir
Summary: Rose decides to play a game with the Doctor with some funny results. Nine, Rose, Jack, and Ten.
1. The Beginning

Doesn't need much introduction; Rose decides to play a game with the Ninth Doctor. Covers from after Nine and Rose met to post-Doomsday.

_Disclaimer: Doctor Who and all characters mentioned herein belong to the BBC._

--

"Hey Doctor, d'ya like to play a game?"

Rose's grin was infectious and he gave easily. With a matching grin on his face, the Doctor replied, "Sure."

She patted the seat next to her excitedly. After he sat, she leaned in and said,

"Knock-knock!"

Off his look, she whispered, "You say 'Who's there.'"

"Oh."

"Knock-knock."

"Who's there?"

"Doctor."

"What?"

"No, who."

"Me?"

"No, who. You're supposed to say who."

"Oh. …Why?"

"Who!"

"I was asking why!"

"Why what?"

"Why are you saying you're me and I have to pretend I don't know who you are?"

"It's a joke; you just go along with it."

"But--"

"Never mind," Rose sighed. The Doctor just looked nonplussed.


	2. Jack

"Knock-knock," a teasing voice called as a hand rapped on an arch.

"Who's there?" the Doctor called from the console.

"Uh…me. Jack," he said with a somewhat puzzled expression.

"No, no, you're supposed to say 'Doctor.'"

"What?"

"Who."

"What?" he repeated.

The Doctor turned to face Jack. "It's a game. Some sort of a joke."

Jack understood now. "A knock-knock joke?"

"I don't know; Rose never told me its name."

Jack looked at Rose who was standing in the hallway watching the exchange. He cocked an eyebrow; she shrugged and then a grin spread slowly across her face.

Jack could see a plan formulating and he wanted in on it.


	3. Dalek

The Doctor eyed the door before him. The sonic screwdriver couldn't open it, so he opted for the next best choice.

He pushed the doorbell.

Nothing happened. He pushed the button again, then knocked on the door.

Still no response. He frowned at the door. He knew there was someone on the other side, but why wouldn't they open it or respond?

The Doctor went through the same actions, curiosity fully piqued, with still no results. He grumbled under his breath, and then he brightened when an idea struck.

Maybe they were playing a game.

"I know how this works!"

This time he held down the comm button. "Knock-knock!" he said cheerfully.

The comm unit crackled and a static-blurred voice replied, "Who's…there?"

"Doctor." He couldn't keep the grin off his face; _now_ he's figured it out!

"Doctor…?"

"Yep, that's it: Doctor."

"_The_ Doctor?!"

The grin began to fade. "Yes, that's me."

The voice suddenly shouted, "It is the Doctor! The Doctor has been found!"

"No," a pale Doctor gasped. The voice hadn't been blurred by static after all…

The voice continued to shriek, "The Doctor must be exterminated! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

The door began to open and the Doctor didn't waste a second—he took off like a shot, the screeches of "Exterminate!" echoing after him.

After the dust settled from the Doctor's sudden departure, two loud whoops rang out. Jack and Rose dropped the voice-altering equipment and grabbed each other, howling. Tears ran down their faces as they propped each other up.

"Can I keep one a' those?" Rose gasped.

"With pleasure!" Jack laughed, wiping his eyes.


	4. Doctor Who?

The Doctor bounced into the TARDIS with his new ever-cheery spirit and began setting controls on the console. He didn't even notice Rose until she gave a melancholy sigh.

"What is it?" he asked plopping down in the seat next to her. "What's that?"

She touched the gadget on her lap gently. "Oh, just something of Jack's…one of his little techy things."

"You miss him, don't you," he said quietly.

"Did he die, Doctor?" she asked, lifting her head; now he could see her red eyes and wet cheeks. "Did Jack die there?"

Her lip trembled and she bit it, fighting back her tears. Impulsively the Doctor gathered her into his arms, rubbing her back and soothing her.

"Did he die?" she asked again.

"No, Rose, he didn't die," he said quietly.

"What?" Rose sat up, disbelief written on her face.

"He didn't die." The Doctor got up and went back to the console. "Jack is alive and…well." He listened impassively to Rose expressing her joy. "Alive, but at what cost?" he muttered to himself.

A calm settled over the TARDIS, quiet and peaceful. Then Rose said,

"Hey Doctor?"

"Yes Rose?"

"Knock-knock."

He turned and saw a familiar grin. He almost sighed. "Rose, I still don't understand this game of yours."

"Oh c'mon, just do it! Knock-knock."

"Who's there?"

"Doctor."

"Doctor who?"


	5. The Ending

The Doctor never did understand that game, at least, not until he was going through the TARDIS and ran across a familiar piece of junk.

"Jack's thing," he mused, picking it up. He turned it over in his hands, having not looked at it closely before.

"Oh…audio-modifier. Hm." Now the Doctor was wondering why it was so special to Rose. He located the replay toggle and activated it.

For the next few minutes, a gaping Time Lord stood transfixed as the whole scene played out.

Then for a while the only sound was the Doctor's laughter filling the TARDIS, and the TARDIS hummed a bit louder in response to her master's happiness.


End file.
